It's still a mod, mod, mod, Mod-Podged world

In this photo provided by Plaid Enterprises Inc. high-heel shoes are decoupaged using Mod Podge Sparkle. Today there's a finish for decoupaging nearly anything to nearly any surface, from fabric and wood and glass to metals. Mod Podge is among the most well known with nearly two dozen formulas, including for furniture, the outdoors and dishwasher safe. (AP Photo/Plaid Enterprises Inc.)
The Associated Press

In this photo provided by Plaid Enterprises Inc. high-heel shoes are decoupaged using Mod Podge Sparkle. Today there's a finish for decoupaging nearly anything to nearly any surface, from fabric and wood and glass to metals. Mod Podge is among the most well known with nearly two dozen formulas, including for furniture, the outdoors and dishwasher safe. (AP Photo/Plaid Enterprises Inc.)

This photo provided by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia shows a jacket, backpack, lunch sack and canvas shoes that are decoupaged -- just a few of the everyday items that can be decoupaged. Today there's a finish for decoupaging nearly anything to nearly any surface, from fabric and wood and glass to metals. Mod Podge is among the most well known with nearly two dozen formulas, and Martha Stewart Crafts offers several of its own finishes. (AP Photo/Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, John Armitage)The Associated Press

This photo provided by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia shows a jacket, backpack, lunch sack and canvas shoes that are decoupaged -- just a few of the everyday items that can be decoupaged. Today there's a finish for decoupaging nearly anything to nearly any surface, from fabric and wood and glass to metals. Mod Podge is among the most well known with nearly two dozen formulas, and Martha Stewart Crafts offers several of its own finishes. (AP Photo/Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, John Armitage)

Mod Podge — long used for decoupage crafts — has morphed in recent years. Now there's a glue-and-sealer product for virtually every surface, from fabric and wood to glass and metals.

Recognizable for its retro label, Mod Podge has been made by Plaid Enterprises Inc., of Norcross, Ga., for more than 40 years. During the product's infancy in the 1960s and '70s, it was popular to decoupage wood furniture, cigar boxes and serving trays with magazine clippings.

"They liked to do a lot of wood items," says Amy Anderson, who blogs fulltime for Plaid Enterprises at Mod Podge Rocks and has written a similarly titled book by Lark Crafts.

"Now it's a lot different because people will Mod Podge anything to anything — junk mail, fabric scraps."

Anderson has received queries from people wanting to decoupage snakeskin, kitchen appliances and car dashboards. (Her answers: Test the snakeskin on a small project. Decoupage only the fridge or washer/dryer front door — not the entire appliance. And please don't decoupage your car interior. Appliances and car interiors can heat up, melting the Mod Podge. "Your dashboard could get really sticky," warns Anderson.)

Plaid Enterprises now makes nearly two dozen varieties of Mod Podge, according to design director Jackie Wynia, from the original matte and gloss to three-dimensional, dishwasher-safe and glow-in-the-dark formulas. Plaid also manufacturers the Martha Stewart Crafts line of decoupage finishes and accessories.

A perfectly useful decoupage medium also can be made at home, says Bethany Kohoutek, editor of Better Homes & Garden's Do It Yourself magazine. However, a homemade product, such as a mixture of white glue and water, may be less reliable and could yellow or decay over time. Kohoutek suggests using it only for kids' crafts that aren't meant to be saved.

"Making ornaments with kids that I want to have for posterity? Then I definitely want to buy the product that was made for that finish," says Kohoutek.

Some of her favorite decoupaging ideas in Do It Yourself magazine include a cheap dresser covered in marbled paper; accent walls; lampshades.

From Anderson, the blogger: Mason jars, large and small canvases, small décor items, suitcases and bicycle helmets.

Decoupaging is simple: Cut out items, if necessary; glue them to the surface of your choice; cover everything with another coat of decoupage glue; let it dry. Surfaces that can be decoupaged include nearly anything except some plastics.

"It really depends on the plastic," Anderson says. "An industrial plastic, you have to sand it and use a plastics primer to see if it'll work."